Ten Things You May Not Know About Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Posted: April 21, 2022 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 1 minutes

Southern Utah University's 2022 commencement speaker, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, has spent her entire career with a series of “firsts” in both higher education and government.

Here are 10 interesting facts about Dr. Rice.

1. She started college at age 15 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree at the age of 19.
2. Both of her parents were educators.
3. She is the youngest, first woman and first African-American to serve as provost of Stanford University.
4. First woman to serve as national security adviser to a United States President.
5. First African-American woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State.
6. Named by Time Magazine as one of the World’s Most Influential People.
7. Served as one of the 13 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
8. The name Condoleezza derives from the Italian word con dolcezza, which means “with sweetness.”
9. Dr. Rice was born in Alabama, which remained segregated for the first decade of her life.
10. Growing up, Dr. Rice wanted to be a concert pianist and initially majored in music in college before changing her major to international relations.

SUU’s Commencement Ceremony will take place on April 29 at 9 a.m. at the America First Event Center on the campus of SUU. Visit SUU’s graduation website for more information.

Tags: Graduation